novelEvan D. Sherden, Preparing for a journey. (4)
| ← Ch.223 | Ch.225 → |
Evan, Belois, Arisha, Paul, Ditto, Lin, and Lan; Shine, Raihan, Serena, Marie, Ena, Melson, and John.
The former was the travel team; the latter was the remaining team.
Serena was depressed and rounded up on the sofa. Slimes, who were trying to unroll the crease of a dress, soon gave it up.
"You're wrong. I'm going to lose you now..... In the hot summer, two women will seduce my Evan, who has become more open on the beaches of this country..."
"I'm just coming back from a trip. Don't be so down, Ray. But why is your imagination so uselessly detailed?"
"And I'm going to be abandoned by Evan. Saddened, I'll be dominating all the monsters in the Dungeon, becoming the worst Demon king to destroy the human world..."
"No, this is a request, so don't. I think you can really do it, so never even attempt it."
As for the person who invited him to Pellati, Arisha was missing from the beginning, but the other draw was fair. Even Lin and Lan twins were drawn separately.
"I guess God blessed me!"
"Wowwwww, God is the best!"
Serena looked at the twin sisters with a look of resentment as they thanked God for helping each other travel safely.
"You'll have to accept the result, Serena."
"I'll have another chance next time, Master."
"Grrrrrrrrr..."
Arisha and Belois calmly said this, but the corners of their mouths had slid up. The joy that couldn't be hidden, the overwhelming joy that came from the success of pushing out competitors!
"But it's too bad. I wish Belois had stayed in Sherden."
"Lady Arisha, you're too greedy."
"You're not used to it yet? I'm always greedy. Moreover, Pellati is my home ground. I don't want to miss this opportunity in vain."
"That's interesting. Of course, I'm just going to make Master as comfortable as I can from anywhere."
"I'm looking forward to when you'll stop being such a snob. This trip sounds like it'll be a lot of fun."
"Yes, it really will be."
The strong alliance between the two women ended at this moment. Evan tried hard to ignore the two women who fought back each other by splashing a broken spark. That problem was enough for a trip. Not now, anyway.
"Listen, everybody. There's a reason why I'm calling the travel team and the remaining team separately. I'm thinking of entering the dungeon between the travel team and the residual team."
"Uh, another dungeon?"
"Master, are you thinking of announcing this trip to the dungeon?"
"You're sharp. That's right. Of course, it's necessary to scale back a little, but I'm going to let you know that the Dungeon Knights have grown to some extent. Other than that, I want to team up with the remaining team and the travel team with the new members."
The children roared. The last time Evan entered the dungeon was in March, and it was now early June. It was a lie if they didn't feel rushed, and in fact, it was right to hurry. If it hadn't been for the trip to Pellati, they wouldn't have gone to this dungeon.
"We will immediately enter the 31st floor and drill down to the 35th floor. The travel team members nor the residual team will be able to leave the dungeon until we reach the 36th level."
"The 35th floor..."
"The 30th floor was also very hard. Can we get to the 35th floor?"
"I'm scared."
Evan's declaration made the children tremble with uneasiness. That was right. The kids had cleared the 30th floor of the Sherden Dungeon just three months ago. They realized the limit countless times and finally overcame it. How long had it been? And now they must clear the 35th floor?!
"Master, do we really have to clear up to the 35th floor?"
"Can we... can we even do that?"
It was natural for such reactions to emerge. Evan also smiled bitterly at those who were scared and shriveled.
In fact, these children were already strong enough. At the ages of 11 and 12, no one would believe that they had conquered the 30th floor of the Dungeon. Lin and Lan were still nine years old!
The 30th floor of the Dungeon was the standard for dividing explorers in many ways. It had been several years since the attack team broke through the 50th floor, but the 30th floor of the Dungeon was still called the "deep floor".
That was how dangerous it was, but the rewards were great.
It was not a place for children below ten. However...
"You can do it. It's the result of your ability that I have judged. I promise."
Evan could have said it would be safe for the senior team would protect them. But Evan didn't do so. He didn't want to make a corner for the children to lean on before they even tried.
Was he being too harsh on the young children? Evan himself thought so, but it was even more sinful to let these children grow up without doing anything.
"So, can you trust me and follow?"
"...Yes."
"We can do it!
There was no need for further persuasion. Starting with Jhin, who had not hesitated from the beginning, until the youngest: Lin, Lan, and timid Paul; all nodded with a stiff look. The children's absolute trust in Evan made it possible. Evan smiled contentedly.
"Okay, then everyone, from now on, make personal arrangements. Tomorrow morning, we're going into the Dungeon."
"Okay!"frℯ𝑒𝘸𝚎𝚋𝓷oѵℯl - 🅽🅽novel
"Okay, dismissed."
"Dismissed!"
There were no children who were nervous about the 35th floor anymore. Everybody was nodding their heads with a wistful look, and some headed to their rooms and others to the training center. The senior team, which naturally remained in the room, looked at Evan with a puzzled expression.
"Can they really break the 35th floor without our help?"
"What was the hidden boss on the 35th floor? Iron Maiden?"
Iron Maiden was a torture device known to have existed in medieval Europe on Earth, and its appearance was closely embedded with thick spines, which trapped people inside and closed the coffin, causing them to bleed to death.
Perhaps the production team of Yo-Ma Great War 3 came up with an idea here, bringing together with Iron Maiden, to create a monster suitable for the deep dungeons' first hidden boss.
And it had more vicious power in this world where games became a reality.
"That room itself is a monster."
"Uh, I was a little scared when the whole room was about to close, though Evan stepped on it and killed it."
"To be frank, I wouldn't know how to kill it if you weren't there."
Yes. The 35th floor Hidden Boss Battle Room is itself the enemy. If you try to crawl inside, then... Bang! When the screen turns black with the sound, you can see a party where their bodies are stabbed to death by thorns.
"The general boss was just a normal Iron Hedgehog."
"It was a really vicious set-up, where if you don't know about the twist, you'll just be beaten."
"Oh, Evan was so cool back then."
"Serena, you've been resurrected."
Evan coughed them into silence. Before entering the Dungeon, there was something he had to say to them.
"In fact, if you go into the heart of the Dungeon, you get a lot of those monsters. If you don't open your eyes properly, or even if you keep your eyes open, many monsters get you—gaseous monsters, soul monsters, space monsters, even psycho-parasitic monsters that intrude into our minds. You know the Mahwa people, right? Do you think the only people who use such terrible means are the Mahwa?"
Evan's gruesome declaration also hardened all senior teams. Evan smiled and spoke once more, "Is there any fear of the Dungeon now?"
"It's not just strength you need to beat those monsters. It's a mindset. A mindset that can respond calmly at any time and in any situation. I think what our Knights need now is that mindset."
"Everyone's still so young, though."
"Yes, they are. So, I was actually going to let Lin and Lan in on the 35th floor when they were 12."
In fact, that's still very fast, but it was quite a convincing grace period since it meant that it would have three years of free time. Evan continued.
"So many things are changing too fast compared to what I knew. A typical example is the Thunderbird Guild's movement, and passively, my brother's early marriage."
It was already different in every way from Yo-Ma Great War 3. Ever since Evan was convinced of the death of the main character from Yo-Ma Great War 4 not long ago, he had often come to think of it. He had said that he should no longer rely on his previous life's knowledge.
"So, do you want to awaken the children?"
"I don't want it to be an awakening, but I want you guys to rely on yourself to judge the situation. I want to develop a calm judgment. That's why we're trying to take them to the 35th floor."
Although he didn't tell the Dungeon Knights, Evan felt slight anxiety even about going to Pellati this time.
Of course, there was nothing unnatural about going to Pellati, invited by Arisha, who successfully blocked the recent dungeon reflux, and who was a close friend and a member of the Dungeon Knights.
However, Evan was feeling an inexplicable sense of uneasiness that such a series of events seemed to be caused by his carelessness.
There was a distinct sense of uneasiness, whether, in Sherden or Pellati, something he had not assumed would happen.
"To be more honest, I'm afraid of this situation where everyone is relying on my 'foresight'. I hope everyone grows up to be able to look at the situation and deal with it calmly with their own will so that they won't fall apart in vain after relying on my forecasts of the future. That's why I'm in a hurry. Now that all I know for sure is what remains in the Dungeon, I want to do as much as I can."
"Well, I'm not at all dissatisfied with getting into the Dungeon and becoming stronger, but... Evan sometimes says really weird things."
Then Serena tilted her head and spoke, "I'm not relying on Evan's foresight, I'm relying on Evan's strong heart."
"What?"
"The premise was wrong in the first place. Even though Evan said what he expected was wrong, Evan didn't fall apart. It's actually been like that a few times, but it's been okay so far, right? The witches. You didn't have any foresight back then, did you?"
"There you go. So we're not breaking down either. Whether his foresight is right or wrong, I'll do my best with you."
"Ray....."
Evan was speechless. Serena was pointing out exactly where Evan was anxious and strongly declaring that there was no way.
"So it's okay if your foresight is wrong. Don't be nervous. Just lead us to every part of your life, and we'll follow you. I don't regret or resent it, even if the road is a little off. Oh, and we don't trust you because of your foresight. It's just our choice to trust you. So is the junior team, and of course, so are we."
"...Thank you, Ray."
"Uh-huh, since I've said something commendable, give me a kiss."
If Arisha hadn't stepped in there and didn't pinch Serina's cheek, Evan might have really done what Serena had told him to do.
"Serena always monopolizes the highlights like that. Shouldn't you leave some for us, too, huh?"
"Ahhhhhhh!"
"And Evan, I'm thinking the same thing as Serena, so keep that in mind."
"What nonsense are you talking about when you're always moving around to whatever fits the situation? There are a few alternatives, even if foresight is wrong."
"That."
Looking at Evan, who needed an answer, Arisha kept talking. Her cheeks were slightly red.
"And it's not that I don't have any thoughts. If you're worried about anything in the future, don't hold yourself, and consult with me right away. What the hell do you think of your fiancée?"
"No, you're not my fiancée."'
"Mmm. '
Arisha's performance cleared the weird atmosphere in the room. In rare cases, Belois clapped her hands and volunteered to clean up.
"Well, now let's get ready to go into the Dungeon. Your Highness, you are not allowed to approach the Master today."
"Oh, come on! You're just afraid that I'll kiss him! You're afraid that I'll take him from you!"
Serena, who had been looking out for a chance before Evan left for Pellati, was being held down by Arisha and Belois. Her words, however, had a considerable impact on Evan and could not be said to have failed Serena's attempt.
The next day, Evan dragged his Knights into the Dungeon. As a result of assisting the children, both the travel team and the remaining team could safely break through the 35th floor.
Evan then led only the senior team to the 45th floor.
| ← Ch. 223 | Ch. 225 → |